[pyrosis]

Hi all, I would like feedback on my approximate weekly plan for training.

Here is where I am at:
-I have been climbing > 15 years, originally focused on trad but lately have been only bouldering
-I am currently solid @V6/font7A with my best send @ V8/font7B.
-I would like to progress to being solid @ V7/font7A+ and have at least one send of V9/font7C by the end of the year.
-I have ample time to boulder outside and access to ample boulders of all grades as well as a beastmaker 1000.
-I do not climb on ropes often if at all.. actually haven't tied in since april.
-So far all I have been doing lately is bouldering 3-4 times per week outdoors for 3-4 hours at a time and working on problems mostly in the v5-v8 range, but I seem to have plateau'd.
-I would like to introduce the hangboad as well as sport specific bodyweight exercises to overcome my plateau
-I would like to introduce general bodyweight exercises and a bit of cardio and stretching for general health and injury prevention
-I would like to do all of this in a manner that allows me to progress and stay injury free and healthy in general, and also gives me plenty of time for the enjoyable pursuit of outdoor bouldering.
-I am still hoping to lose a bit of weight from my 90Kg, but instead of crash dieting I hope this just happens naturally with clean eating and exercise

Here is my plan

day 1
- boulder outside for max strength and power, working projects and single moves on problems harder than my limit. lots of rest. ~3-4 hours
- fingerboard session of single hangs ~30 minutes
- bodyweight exercises for upper back/biceps/abdominals - high resistance, low reps EG, one arm pullup progressions, front lever progressions, etc.. ~30-60 minutes
- stretch ~ 30 minutes

day 2
- boulder outside, utilizing technique drills and circuits of problems below my limit. EG, 15 x v3   ~2-3 hours
- bodyweight exercises for chest/triceps/low back - high resistance and low reps EG handstand pushups progressions, planche progressions, etc. also low resistance rotator cuff and wrist extensor exercise. ~30-60 minutes
- stretch ~ 30 minutes

day 3
- easy run ~30 minutes
- stretch ~30 minutes

day 4
-boulder outside as for day 1 ~3-4 hours
- fingerboard session of repeaters, ~30 minutes
- bodyweight exercise for upper back/biceps/abs, but higher reps, lower resistance - EG pullups, rows, hanging leg lifts, etc ~30-60 minutes
- stretch ~30 minutes

day 5
- boulder outside as for day 2 ~2-3 hours
- bodyweight exercise for chest/triceps/low back with higher reps, lower resistance - EG pushups, dips, back extensions etc and also rotator cuff and wrist extensor exercises ~60 minutes
- stretch ~30 minutes

day 6
- long run ~60 minutes
- stretch ~ 30 minutes

day 7
- perhaps some light leg exercises - bodyweight squats, lunges, box jumps, etc ~30 minutes
- easy run 30 minutes
- stretch 30 minutes

Questions:

Is this a safe volume of training? Too much? Too little?
Assuming optimized diet and sleep, is it possible to recover from this volume of training? SHould I ease into it somehow?
Enough variety from day to day? I figure the 30 minute easy run days can count as rest days, as I don't find this too taxing...
Will two ~30 minute sessions on the fingerboard have much effect?
Are the outdoor bouldering sessions emphasizing technique and volume a good idea? (I got this from the book Self Coached Climber, which seems to indicate it's not a good idea to just work on your project day in/day out)


Flame on!

[lukeinaz]

Is this a safe volume?  nobody in the world can answer this question without first knowing what you were doing before.

Is it possible to recover from this volume?  you tell us, I cannot feel your body for you.

Enough variety?  lose all that weight nonsense unless you are working specific muscle imbalance or rehab known/prone injury.

Will two FB sessions have an effect?  if you are new to fb then yes.  any amount of fb is generally a good idea.  work into this very slowly

Technique trainiing?  def.  work your technique on rest days doing easy circuits.

this is not a plan.  its a weekly schedule of how to probably injure yourself.  start with your first four months and go from there.  read SCC again and make a real plan.

[shark]

this is not a plan.  its a weekly schedule

 

Without getting too bogged down with periodised plans maybe try the 3 weeks over-extending followed by1 week under-extending approach (link courtesy of Dylan) using the components you've described above which you have identified as useful. 

[pyrosis]

Is this a safe volume?  nobody in the world can answer this question without first knowing what you were doing before.

Like I said - bouldering 3-4 days per week, mostly working problems v5-v8

Is it possible to recover from this volume?  you tell us, I cannot feel your body for you.

Understood

Enough variety?  lose all that weight nonsense unless you are working specific muscle imbalance or rehab known/prone injury.

Maybe you misunderstood. I don't plan to lift weights. So you think it's a bad idea to work on pullups/one-arm lockoffs/one arm pullups/levers/etc? All the supplementary exercise I had listed was bodyweight only.

Will two FB sessions have an effect?  if you are new to fb then yes.  any amount of fb is generally a good idea.  work into this very slowly

Thank you, will take this to heart

Technique trainiing?  def.  work your technique on rest days doing easy circuits.

Again, thank you. Will do

this is not a plan.  its a weekly schedule of how to probably injure yourself.  start with your first four months and go from there.  read SCC again and make a real plan.

Why do you say this? Am I more likely to injure myself with the above listed activities than just bouldering hard four days per week? What would constitute a real plan?

Thanks in advance

[pyrosis]

 

Without getting too bogged down with periodised plans maybe try the 3 weeks over-extending followed by1 week under-extending approach (link courtesy of Dylan) using the components you've described above which you have identified as useful.

Thanks, Shark. Will check this out.

[Nibile]

i think it's too much too soon. i don't like to climb on rock and do fingerboarding in the same day. i think one of the two sessions is spoilt. be patient and maybe consider investing a few quids in a training program specifically made for you by a professional. oh, ps. I'd just boulder my mind out every fucking day! :-)

[pyrosis]

i think it's too much too soon. i don't like to climb on rock and do fingerboarding in the same day. i think one of the two sessions is spoilt. be patient and maybe consider investing a few quids in a training program specifically made for you by a professional. oh, ps. I'd just boulder my mind out every fucking day! :-)

Thanks for the feedback, nibile. So if you had four days per week to boulder outside, you wouldn't bother with the fingerboard at all? Would you still recommend core exercises, such as front lever progressions etc..?

[Nibile]

oh absolutely yes!!!
if you manage to find the right balance for you, bouldering is the best training for bouldering!!! you'll have to be very disciplined, and sometimes you'll have to consider your bouldering session more like a training session, but it will always be better than being inside or dangling from a fingerboard (Beastmaker please forgive me for what I've just said).
plus, while getting stronger, you'll also climb new problems and that'll build up your confidence and motivation.
you'll have plenty of rainy days to fingerboard, so I would not worry about that now.
I find very productive as of late to have short, powerful sessions on rock without getting to exhaustion.
go there, do the job, go home and stretch!!!
maybe you could do a quick recruitment session on the fingerboard before giong to a project, so that you get there fully warmed up (I assume you live close to the boulders), you climb it and the world is wonderful.
and anyway I wouldn't do all the fingerboarding I do if I had a good gym to boulder. fingerboarding is very specific and you plateau quickly, indoor bouldering is a much more complete and effecrive way to improve and if you have imagination you keep setting your own problems so it's hard to plateau if you vary them. and then you also learn technique, etc etc.
I hope this helps.

[pyrosis]

Thanks, Nibile. I appreciate the advice. It certainly makes sense that training for bouldering by bouldering is much more specific than training for bouldering by doing anything else.

One thing that I have noticed of late is that it seems that my skin gives out at the boulders before I feel spent. IE, I feel that I might have more strength left in my muscles but my fingertips are thrashed and so I cannot continue. Though I usually last several hours out at the boulders before this happens. I thought the nice smooth wooden holds of the Beastmaker might be a good way to milk the last few drops of strength out of my muscles. Can this be a good idea, or is it counterproductive by just digging me a deeper hole from which to recover?

Also I notice on certain very steep problems I notice that I lack the core strength to get the feet back on when they come off. Is this something that you can develop simply by trying those steep problems? Or is it beneficial in this case to add additional exercise for the core at the end of the session?

Thanks in advance.

[Nibile]

it's not a bad thing to leave the boulders with some energy left. which strong wad used to say "stop strong"?
core tension is a crucial thing. of course you can work it on the boulders but you need steep ones.
I think this is best trained on plastic: I have spent a lot of time under the 60° wall, setting problems on which cutting lose meant falling. this is not easy done on rock, but you can do it, trying to repeat problems you've already done in a better style, without cutting lose, less slappy and so on.
sit ups and front levers are de rigeur also.
I also think that it's very important not to get stuck in the same routines: change often.

[Monolith]

sometimes you'll have to consider your bouldering session more like a training session, but it will always be better than being inside or dangling from a fingerboard (Beastmaker please forgive me for what I've just said).

For the record, this man does mono front levers on postage stamps in 100% relative humidity and 36 degress temps. With this in mind, an indoor summer Italian fingerboard experience is unlike anything you could encounter here in blighty.

I think it was a wise dense loner that advocated indoor summer training over a pointless outdoor grease fest. I've not forgotten this sage-like wisdom, to which end it could be worth getting to love your fingerboard as much as Nibile (and I) certainly do.

I don't know about you folk but I can barely move off the couch let alone get a psyche on for anything climbing related in these conditions.

[lukeinaz]

Its great you are trying to plan a course for improvement, but you are making it complicated for yourself.  I will have to agree with nibble here; it sounds like a little too much too fast.  That being said, a steady diet of finger training should be performed for most of the year.  You stand to reap great rewards with supplemental finger training.  I truly believe 7c is obtainable for you this year.

assuming you are always doing a proper wu this would be my recommendation. 

day 1
- boulder outside for max strength and power, working projects and single moves on problems harder than my limit. lots of rest. ~3-4 hours

day 2
- boulder outside, utilizing technique drills and circuits of problems below my limit. EG, 15 x v3   ~2-3 hours

day 3
- easy run ~30 minutes
- stretch ~30 minutes
-1 hour FB

day 4
-rest  if you are FBing appropriatley you wont be able to do anything productive on this day

repeat

unless you climb very dynamically or have problems with your shoulders drop the rotator business.

do this for a couple of weeks and see if you can handle more FBing and/or  climbing.  try to separate  intense days by at least 36 hrs.

let us know how you are getting along

[pyrosis]

Thanks Luke, appreciate the feedback. Looks like I will be spending a fair bit of time up in Flagstaff this fall, maybe I will run into you out at the Draw. Wait.. isn't this the UK bouldering forum?

[Nibile]

Tom, my brother.
you are always too kind and generous with me.
thank you.

but yes, an Italian summer fingerboarding session can be pretty close to hell on Earth.